Investigation of Behavior of Aliphatic Polyketone under the Effects of Recycling and UV

One of the important issues and tasks to be solved today is how to reduce the negative effects of plastic use on the environment. This study examines the applicability of polyketone with an aliphatic structure, which can be classified in the group of technical plastics, after mechanical recycling. Samples were reprocessed once and five times under identical injection molding conditions to assess degradation and chemical changes. After recycling, UV radiation tests were performed on both virgin and repeatedly reprocessed samples, along with melt flow index measurements. The effects of UV radiation on polymers range from physical changes, such as discoloration, to chemical modifications, including photooxidative degradation. In some cases, both phenomena must be considered during processing. The aim of the study is to detect the changes that have occurred in the unfilled aliphatic polyketone under the influence of UV radiation. Standard injection-molded specimens were stored in a UV chamber for durations equivalent to one to five years of radiation. The resulting changes, including new chemical bond formation, oxidative degradation, and crosslinking, were analyzed using FT-IR spectroscopy and melt flow index measurements.